Elephant Festival Celebrated in Northern Laos

The annual Elephant Festival was held innorthern Lao province of Xayaboury，marking acolorful start to the province's Visit Laos Year2024 program.

The popular annual festival，which saw LaoPresident Thongloun Sisoulith taking part in theopening ceremony on Saturday，featured a rangeof events，including a parade of elephants，withsome of the animals performing circus acts andcompeting in a fun painting competition，Laonational TV reported on Monday.

The festival was held from Feb.12 to Feb.18，aiming at raising awareness of elephantconservation and promoting local tourism andeconomic development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony，DeputyGovernor of Xayaboury province PhetphixaySounvilay，said that the festival was intended tospotlight the continuing need to preserve Laos'dwindling elephant herds.

He said that elephants are part of Laos'heritage and it is important to preserve thelongstanding close links between elephants andthe people of Xayaboury.

To ensure tourists enjoy their time inXayaboury during Visit Laos Year 2024，peopleproviding tourism-related services have beengiven extra training about cleanliness and safety，and an attempt will be made to keep prices atreasonable levels.

Xayaboury province，some 170 kmnorthwest of Lao capital Vientiane，has manyattractions，including 29 officially designatednature-based attractions，12 cultural sites，andsix places with historical associations.

Source：Xinhua